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The Fiddler
History Origin In his early years, Isaac Bowin was a petty thief working the streets of India. While Bowin was attempting to rob a local merchant, local authorities found and apprehended him, whereupon he was taken to prison. During his incarceration, Bowin met an old Hindu fakir who used the power of music to hypnotize and control the actions of a deadly cobra. Bowin pressured the fakir into teaching him the mystical powers of the East, and the Hindu finally relented. Bowin proved an apt student, and before long, his knowledge surpassed that of his teacher. Using random materials found in his cell, Isaac fashioned a crude fiddle and used his new knowledge to escape from prison. He no longer required the services of the old fakir, so he used the power of his fiddle to murder him. Afterwards, he tracked down the merchant he attempted to rob earlier and executed him as well. Calling himself the Fiddler, Bowin returned to the United States to begin a new life of crime. A Villian of The Flash In 1947, Bowin relocated to Keystone City, Kansas where he constructed a new fiddle for himself, one even more powerful than the simple instrument he used to escape from India. This destructive instrument possessed the power to hypnotize others, generate sonic waves of force and erect force field bubbles. He also designed a custom-made automobile molded to the shape of a violin. Using his stylized repertoire to commit elaborate crimes, the Fiddler soon found himself in conflict with Keystone's resident super-hero the Jay Garrick. The Flash attempted to stop the Fiddler, but quickly found himself the victim of the Fiddler's hypnotic powers. The Flash eventually defeated the Fiddler and sent him to prison. The Fiddler soon escaped and fought the Flash several more times throughout the 1940s. In 1948, the Fiddler teamed up with other like-minded villains to form the second incarnation of the Injustice Society of the World. In a scheme which involved stealing known symbols of American patriotism, the Fiddler attempted to steal the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Justice Society of America fought the Injustice Society and the Fiddler was defeated. Several years later, the Fiddler embarked upon one of his most ambitious schemes to date. Working alongside the Shade and the Thinker, the three villains combined their powers to place Keystone City into a suspended null-field. All knowledge and memory of Keystone City was erased from the public consciousness. The city was eventually returned to normal, and the Fiddler, Shade and the Thinker found themselves in conflict with Jay Garrick – the original Flash, as well as Barry Allen, Jay's successor to the role. The Fiddler hypnotized the heroes into robbing the Keystone City museum, but the heroes eventually regained control of their bodies and defeated their adversaries. Injustice Society As time passed, the Fiddler escaped from prison again and rejoined the Injustice Society (now calling themselves the Injustice Gang of the World). Working alongside the Icicle and Solomon Grundy, the Injustice Gang fought up against the Justice Society of America, who had only recently come out of retirement. The Fiddler used his hypnotic powers to force Wildcat into fighting Hawkman – a battle that nearly ended Hawkman's life. The Fiddler and the Icicle later met back up with the Shade where they became the willing agents of Darkseid. Working from a secret base on Apokolips, the Fiddler designed a giant gun, which was used to enslave the populace of nearby New Genesis. These plans also met with failure as the Injustice Gang met the combined might of the Justice Society of America, the Justice League and the New Gods. The Fiddler later met up with his old comrade the Wizard in his new Injustice Society now called Injustice Unlimited. They overcame the security at the International Trade Conference in Calgary, Canada... namely Infinity, Inc. and a contingent of the Global Guardians and forced the heroes to help in some mayhem. The Fiddler took Obsidian and the Green Flame to London and, with their help, stole a very prized Stradivarius violin. They then returned to Calgary to share in the stolen wealth being gathered by the Wizard but the plan went haywire when Hourman (Rick Tyler) revived and freed himself, as well as when Solomon Grundy was brought in from the Arctic Circle. It was Hourman who incapacitated the Fiddler by destroying the Stradivarius, and as the battle concluded, Canadian law enforcement took the Fiddler into custody. Death The Fiddler was one of dozens of villains present when the arch-demon Neron first arrived on Earth. He was the first in the assemblage to recognize Neron's true name, and understood the symbolism between the name and the number 666. Years later, the Fiddler, once again free from prison, joined a new super-villain team – the Secret Six. Disappointed by the Fiddler's performance against H.I.V.E. agents during their first mission, Mockingbird deemed him "incompetent" and ordered him killed. Deadshot carried out the execution and he was replaced by Catman. The Fiddler's violin was later found to be in the possession of a woman who allied herself with the Secret Society, and went by the name of Virtuoso. Powers and Abilities Powers *Coming Soon Abilities *'Hypnosis': The Fiddler is a master hypnotist who can focus his abilities through his violin. Strength *The Fiddler possessed the strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engaged in minimal regular exercise. Weakness *Coming Soon Equipment *Black Lantern Power Battery *'Violin bow string': Like his fiddle, the Fiddler's bow string was capable of producing destructive waves of force when used in conjunction with the special strings of his violin. *'Portable Vibrator:' The Fiddler created a portable vibrator, which could bridge the gap between parallel worlds. He used this to transport himself, the Wizard and the Icicle to Earth-One, and also used it to bring Doctor Alchemy, Chronos and Felix Faust from Earth-One to Earth-Two. He also used this device to trap Barry Allen and Jay Garrick in the space between dimensions (commonly known as the Bleed). It is unknown whether the Fiddler still possessed such a device following the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Transportation *'Fiddler's Fiddle Car': The Fiddler drove a custom-made automobile in the shape of a fiddle. Weapons *Black Lantern Power Ring *'Fiddler's Fiddle': The Fiddler has used a variety of violins throughout the course of his career. Invariably however, he always refers to them as fiddles. Notes *Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal. *Isaac Bowin's name was revealed on his memorial vault placard at the JLA Hall of Justice in Blackest Night #3. Trivia *Coming Soon See Also *The Fiddler/Gallery In Other Media *The Fiddler made a cameo appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Flash and Substance". He was first seen passed out at the bar of a popular underworld pub on 4th Street in Central City. Later, he was one of several super-villains seen hanging out at the selfsame establishment. When the Flash entered the building, the Fiddler and several other thugs and villains quickly vacated the premises. Links *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Isaac_Bowin_(New_Earth) *http://www.comicvine.com/fiddler/29-6900/ Fiddler, The Fiddler, The